Misinformation: Social Market Foundation Report

Baroness Berger Excerpts

Thursday 11th June 2026 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Baroness Berger]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Social Market Foundation report No news is bad news: The hidden threat of unchecked local misinformation, published on 8 June.

[Lord in Waiting/Government Whip (Lord Leong) (Lab)]

My Lords, the Government recognise the harmful impact of misinformation and the vital role of trusted local journalism in upholding democratic accountability. We continue to monitor emerging evidence, including the Social Market Foundation’s report. The Online Safety Act requires platforms to tackle illegal content and content harmful to children, including misinformation and disinformation. Alongside regulation, we are strengthening trusted information sources and media literacy through our Protecting What Matters strategy and DSIT’s “You Won’t Know Until You Ask” campaign.

[Baroness Berger (Lab)]

My Lords, new analysis from the Social Market Foundation has found that more than one in four news-related posts on X are misinformation, and this proportion is rising sharply during election periods. Fake news spiked by one and a half on Facebook during the recent local election. We know that more people are increasingly consuming their local news from social media. This spread of false information is now a direct threat to our democratic process. I listened carefully to my noble friend the Minister in his response, but what more can be done to tackle this to ensure that our elections are not being compromised?

[Lord Leong (Lab)]

My Lords, my noble friend raises an important point. The Online Safety Act captures disinformation intended to disrupt elections when it constitutes an electoral offence, including foreign interference, incitement of violence against candidates and false statements about personal character. The Defending Democracy Taskforce, led by DSIT, works closely with government agencies, regulators and online platforms, particularly during recent elections, to improve preparedness, promote trustworthy information sources, and protect the integrity and resilience of our democratic process.